Photo by Jodi Ocker -- Tyreer Mills makes a move during his 90-yard punt return that made the score 14-6.

Opposing teams are finding out the hard way that there are no weak spots in Middletown’s game.

The Scranton Prep Cavaliers became the latest victims who can attest to that after the Blue Raiders ran off with a convincing 40-13 victory in the first round of state playoff competition last Friday night.

Playing at Bethlehem Stadium, a site where a former Middletown team had played in the Eastern PA finals in 1988, the Raiders shook off a slow start and used a couple big plays to gain control of the game on their way to the impressive win.

The Blue Raiders will play Notre Dame-Green Pond on Friday at Hersheypark Stadium in the state semifinals. A win in that game will place the Middletown squad in the state Class 3A championship tilt at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Hersheypark Stadium. The winner of Central Martinsburg and Beaver Falls, who play Friday in Altoona, will be the opponent.

Photo by Don Graham -- Some of the Middletown fans at Bethlehem Stadium on Friday had a festive look.

As has been evident all season long while the Blue Raiders had compiled an unbeaten 12-game string, this state playoff clash again showed the balance of the successful Middletown team. But head coach Brett Myers was quick to point out the defense as the major factor in the win. Photo by Jodi Ocker -- Chris Plummer hauls in a catch Friday night vs. Scranton Prep.

“Be sure to credit our defense,” he said, adding, “Coach (JJ) Ortiz and his defensive coaches had a great game plan against a very good team.”

A goal-line stand on the first drive of the game against Scranton Prep, a second stop that limited the Cavaliers to a field goal and a pass interception by Blake Jacoby late in the first half that gave the Raiders a 20-6 lead highlighted that defensive performance. Those segments of the game gave the Middletown offense a chance to get settled against a big and aggressive Scranton Prep defense that played well early.

Led by Hunter and Haden Landis and Laron Woody, the Raiders were tough against the run all night.

“Our kids played great. We were outweighed by nearly 50 pounds a man on the line, but our linemen are tough and play very well together and that helped us win,” Myers said.

The Cavaliers were good, too, and it showed early when they took the game’s opening drive from their own 16 to the Middletown 7 yard line in 7 plays. A 41-yard pass from Jake Ryan to Matt Gilmartin keyed the march for the District II champions. But the Raiders held firm and stopped the drive in its tracks at the 3 when another pass was tipped on fourth down.

Unfortunately for the Raiders Scranton Prep’s Ricky Morgan intercepted a Chase Snavely pass three plays into Middletown’s offensive possession. Starting at the Middletown 36 following the pick, the Cavaliers scored this time on a 12-yard run by Gilmartin that capped the 7 play drive. The extra point missed leaving the Cavaliers with a 6-0 lead with 1:47 left in the opening quarter.

Down by that 6-0 score after having had the ball for just three plays in the first period could have affected the Raiders mentally. But this team didn’t get rattled. Jose Lopez’s kickoff return set the Middletown offense up at its own 30 and the team went to work. A run by Brady Fox, a pass completion of 8 yards from Snavely to Chris Plummer and a pair of carries by Jaelen Thompson moved the ball to the Prep 45 as the quarter wound down.

Against Prep’s big defensive front, the Raiders kept moving in the second quarter. On a keeper, Snavely converted on a fourth and 1 behind center Ethan Newton. Tre Leach went for 8 and 3 yards to gain another first down at the 23 before a false start backed the Raiders up to the 28.

First and 15? No problem, as Snavely again hooked up with Plummer for 16 yards to the 12. A four yard catch by Plummer and a 7-yard run by Fox set up Snavely’s keeper for the touchdown with 8:27 left. Donovan Brady’s PAT gave the Blue Raiders a 7-6 lead, and they would not trail again on the scoreboard.

The Cavaliers threatened again on their next drive and reached the 25 before the Middletown defense slammed the door shut. A pair of penalties against the Cavaliers took some of the momentum away from Scranton Prep. The Middletown defense did the rest.

Big hits by Jacoby and Griffen Radabaugh on short passes kept the Cavaliers in check and eventually forced Prep to punt after stalling at the 45. And that’s when the first bolt of lightning struck.

Fielding the high kick at the 10 yard line, Tyreer Mills provided the excitement. With a couple starts and stops and change of direction Mills also picked up great blocking by his teammates as he lit up Bethlehem Stadium with a 90-yard return for the Raiders’ second touchdown. Following Brady’s kick, the Blue Raiders now led 14-6 with 2:17 left in the first half.

But that was not all the Middletown team had for their shocked opponents. Two plays into Prep’s ensuing possession, Jacoby jumped a pass pattern and picked off Ryan’s throw at the 44 and never stopped until he made it cleanly into the end zone for the pick-6. The kick missed but the Blue Raiders now owned a 20-6 lead with 1:25 to go in the half.

Photo by Jodi Ocker -- Blake Jacoby races for the end zone after intercepting a Scranton Prep pass late in the first half. The touchdown would give the Blue Raiders a 20-6 lead.

But the Cavaliers showed some of why they brought a 12-1 record in the game and nearly put some more points on the board before the half ended. Keyed by a pair of runs covering 14 and 20 yards by Gilmartin, Prep reached the Middletown 30 and called a timeout with 4 seconds left. Alec Buttner lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt but the kick came up just a couple yards short as time expired.

Starting the second half with the ball in their hands, the Raiders padded their lead with the opening drive. Runs by Thompson, Fox and Jose Lopez, along with another catch by Plummer that went for 15 yards, and a keeper good for 4 yards by Snavely, the Raiders worked their way to the 43.

On second and 6 from the 39, Snavely hit Mills on a crossing pattern over the middle that turned into another Middletown score. With Brady’s kick the Middletown team had pushed its lead up to 27-6.

Defensive plays by Kyle Truesdale, Ethan Newton — who was filling in for injured starter Bob Graham — and Jonah McCoy forced a three-and-out by Prep on the Cavaliers’ next possession. Although the Middletown offense had to start from its own 13, it didn’t matter.

Fox ran for 6 yards on first down before leaving the game with a leg injury. He did not return. On third and two Snavely connected with Mills for 13 yards and a first down. Two plays later Snavely hit tight end Malik Noon 10 yards downfield and the 6-foot-3 senior took the play 55 yards to the Scranton Prep 12 before he was stopped.

Thompson picked up 7 yards on two carries before Myers called a timeout with 3:37 left. Following the stoppage, the Raiders used a bit of trickery to pad their lead.

On the play, Snavley handed the ball to Thompson who flipped the ball to Leach, who was on the move from left to right. Pulling up and looking back to his left, Leach tossed a perfect pass to Snavely in the end zone for the touchdown. That sudden 34-6 lead by the Raiders didn’t quite take the heart out of the Cavaliers, but a defensive play at the start of the fourth quarter appeared to do just that.

After moving from their own 15 to the Middletown 20 in six plays to finish up the third quarter, the Cavaliers were poised to put some points on the board. But that never happened. Defensive end Tristen Maxwell foiled Prep’s attempt at a trick play that mirrored Middletown’s successful one. Ryan was wide open on the play and heading for the end zone when Jake Grady threw the ball in his direction. Maxwell saw it coming and leaped into the air for an interception at the 26, taking away Prep’s chance at scoring.

Photo by Jodi Ocker -- Tristen Maxwell carries the ball after an interception on a trick play Friday vs. Scranton Prep.

To make matters worse for the Cavaliers, the Middletown offense scored two plays later when Snavely hit Thompson on a streak on the left side and the pair connected for a back-breaking 70-yard touchdown connection and a 40-6 Middletown lead with 10:23 left in the game.

Scranton Prep went three-and-out on their ensuing possession, but so, too, did the Raiders, who were forced to punt for the first time in the game. Scranton Prep did manage to finally reach the end zone on a 42-yard pass from Ryan to Tommy Doherty with 4:44 left.

A failed onsides kickoff attempt that was recovered by Corbin Stetler put the ball firmly in the Raiders’ hands. Thompson ran six times and Leach carried once as the Middletown offense held the ball and ran out the remaining time to lock down the 40-13 victory.

Two Middletown Area High School student-athletes took advantage of Early Signing Day on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and declared where they would attend college.

Bianca Jasper, daughter of Maurice and Tonya Jasper, will attend California University of Pennsylvania to play basketball. She plans to major in pre-med biology.

Sidonie Phillips-LaPlante, daughter of Melissa Martin, will attend the University of Michigan to play field hockey.

Jasper is a member of Link Crew and serves as a Raider Connection coach. She is a member of the soccer and basketball teams and serves as a Little Dribblers Coach. When she’s not on the field or the court, she can be found cheering from the sidelines as the Raiders’ mascot. She enjoys playing basketball, the piano and guitar.

Photos by John Diffenderfer -- Above, the Lower Dauphin boys soccer team celebrates its state title on Friday at Hersheypark Stadium, completing a 28-0 season in which it gave up only six goals.

The Lower Dauphin boys soccer team brought home the PIAA 3A state title on Friday, Nov. 18, capping an undefeated season in which it is ranked third in the USA Today boys national poll.

Lower Dauphin beat Northwestern Lehigh 3-0 on Friday for the title at Hersheypark Stadium.

Timmy Townsend scored an unassisted goal in the first half. Jackson Becher scored twice in the second half to salt away the victory.

The shutout was hardly a rarity this season for the Falcons. Lower Dauphin outscored its opponents 108-6 on the season, with 23 shutouts. Only CD East managed to score more than one goal, in a 3-2 Lower Dauphin win on Sept. 12.

It was Lower Dauphin’s first appearance in the boys state championship game in school history, but it almost didn’t happen.

Townsend scored both goals in that 2-1 comeback, however. The second came with just seconds remaining in the first overtime period.

“This is the culmination of our season and the boys just doing what they needed to do at different times,” Lower Dauphin head coach Gerry Lynch told PennLive. “I’m just so happy for the boys. They put their heart and soul into it and they left it all out here.”

Lower Dauphin trailed only St. Ignatius in Cleveland and Boulder High School in Colorado in USA Today’s boys rankings.

Photo by Jodi Ocker -- Jaelen Thompson takes off on a run vs. Wyomissing on Thursday.

The Middletown football team returned to Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday evening and ran away with the District III 3A championship trophy after routing Wyomissing 48-20.

The Blue Raiders earned their first district title since the 1988 season while rolling to their 12th straight victory of the season.

Their next game is vs. Scranton Prep at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals of the PIAA 3A championships. It will be played at Frank Banko Field at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, 1115 Linden St., Bethlehem. Scranton Prep is 12-1 after beating Montoursville 37-13 on Friday, Nov. 18.

If Middletown wins that game, they will take on the winner of Notre Dame Green Pond and Delaware Valley Charter on either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3, at a time and site to be determined. The state title game is at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Hersheypark Stadium.

Wyomissing entered the title game with an 8-3 record that included a win over Bermudian Springs in a district semifinal the week before. With numerous district wins and titles filling out their resume, the Spartans came to Hershey with hopes of adding to those numbers by knocking off the top-seeded Raiders. However, the Spartans became another victim of the Middletown express train that has rolled over everyone in its path.

This remarkable season started at Hersheypark Stadium in early September against Lower Dauphin when the Raiders claimed a 27-7 victory in the Iron Spike Bowl. Since then, the Middletown team earned a Mid-Penn Capital Division title and, now, a District III championship and a berth in the upcoming state playoffs.

The celebration went on for quite some time on the field following the win and carried over back home with a rolling parade through town that ended at the new high school. Many of the huge number of fans who took in the game joined in the parade or lined the streets cheering on their champions along the route near Main and Union streets.

The heroes in the win were many as players on both sides of the ball stepped up. The Blue Raiders shook off an early deficit and a couple of mistakes in a dominating performance. Quarterback Chase Snavely and running back Brady Fox ended up in the spotlight following the win and handled the attention like professionals. Photo by Don Graham -- Quarterback Chase Snavely and coach Brett Myers discuss a play.

“I’m not used to all those lights and cameras in my face, but I guess I did OK,” Fox quipped following the interviews.

That was an understatement. He rushed for 163 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns. Snavely was equally cool under pressure, both in front of the cameras and on the field. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 151 yards and three scores as well.

The Middletown defense also gets equal billing. The Raiders pretty much shut down Wyomissing’s run game while limiting the Spartans’ offensive opportunities. From the pleased look on his face, it was easy to tell that head coach Brett Myers appreciated the efforts of his championship team.

On the game’s first possession, the Spartans were forced to punt as the Raider defense held. But Tyreer Mills had a bit of trouble fielding the high deep kick and Wyomissing’s Jordan Caraballo recovered the muff at the Middletown 24. The best the Spartans would get, however, was a 36-yard field goal by Connor Mendel and a 3-point lead at 7:17.

One of the real characteristics of this Middletown team is its ability to bounce back from adversity, and it showed when the Blue Raiders took the field on offense.

Keyed by a 52-yard kickoff return by Fox, the Raiders were set up at the Wyomissing 39. Runs by Fox and Jaelen Thompson, along with a Snavely-to-Chris Plummer pass of 15 yards, moved the ball to the 1 yard line.

Following a Middletown penalty, Snavely connected with Fox for 5 yards and then went in for the touchdown on a keeper with 4:14 left. Donovan Brady’s kick gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead and they never trailed the rest of the way.

Wyomissing followed with a steady drive that reached the Middletown 10 as the first quarter ended. On the second play of the second quarter, Griffen Radabaugh sacked Spartan quarterback Brayden Eberhart for a 9-yard loss and Wyomissing had to settle for another Mendel field goal, this one from 41 yards out.

From that point on, Middletown took control of the game.

Overcoming a pair of holding calls, the Raiders marched on for their second touchdown. Keys to the drive were a pair of Snavely passes of 27 yards to Tre Leach and 26 yards to Mills. Breaking an attempted tackle at the 10, Leach capped the drive with a 9-yard reception with 7:18 left in the first half. The Blue Raiders were up 13-6.

Led by Radabaugh, Bobby Graham, Tristan Maxwell and Haden Landis up front, and the linebacking of Hunter Landis, Blake Jacoby and Laron Woody along with backs Kyle Truesdale, Jonah McCoy, Leach and Mills, the Middletown defense gave up nothing during the balance of the first half.

At the same time, the Raider offense popped in two more scores before halftime. The first was a lightning-quick 62-yard sprint by Fox at 5:33 and the other was on a 15-yard catch and run by Mills with 58 seconds left.

“I don’t even know how I got so open on the run,” Fox said, amazed at how much room the offensive line gave him. Ethan Newton, Tommy Staker, Trey Michal, Radabaugh and Brendan Douglass were dominant all night.

On the Mills score, the speedy junior latched onto a low throw out in the left flat and raced down the sideline for the touchdown that gave the Raiders a 27-6 lead at the break. Mills intercepted an Eberhart pass that took away Wyomissing’s chance for a score.

Taking the opening kickoff to start the second half, the Blue Raiders padded their lead to 34-6. Staying mainly on the ground, but aided by an 18-yard reception by freshman Jose Lopez and a pair of Spartan penalties, the Raiders marched to the 7 in eight plays. With Graham set up as a blocking fullback, Fox followed his lead into the end zone with 8:44 left in the third.

Following an exchange of punts, Wyomissing was back on offense at their own 37 with 4:38 left in the third. Their biggest play of the game, a 32-yard run by Caraballo, coupled with a pair of major penalties by the Raiders, keyed the Spartans drive for their first touchdown of the contest. A tipped pass fell into the hands of tight end Hunter Niedrowsky who was lying on the ground in the end zone. With 59 seconds left in the period, the Spartans trailed 34-13.

Starting at their own 42 following a failed onsides kickoff attempt, the Blue Raiders appeared to have another quick score when Mills went the distance on first down. But a penalty inside the 15 negated the tally and the ball was placed at the 23 instead. A pair of runs by Thompson closed out the third quarter.

Four plays into the fourth quarter, Snavely was sacked for a 10-yard loss setting up a third and goal from the 22. After Snavely’s pass to Plummer moved the ball to the 10, the Raiders went for it on 4th and goal. And the gamble paid off when Mills got open in the middle of the end zone and Snavely fired a strike for the touchdown with 8:39 left in the game. With Brady’s PAT, the Raiders’ grew to 41-13.

Wyomissing did follow with a scoring drive that covered 77 yards, but the grinding 13-play drive that was helped by a roughing call against the Middletown defense ate up 5 minutes of clock. With 3:31 left, the Spartans were running out of time. To put an exclamation point on this championship, the Middletown offense scored one more touchdown for good measure.

Thompson’s 32-yard run on second and 13 set up Fox’s 10 yard score three plays later that locked down the win that crowned the Middletown Blue Raiders as District III champions.

Fourteen Lower Dauphin High School student-athletes recently announced their college choices where they will continue their academic and athletic careers.

In a National Letter of Intent signing day ceremony in the school gymnasium Wednesday, Nov. 9, the student-athletes, representing six sports made their announcements before parents, coaches, teachers and classmates.

Baseball

Michael Geesaman: Michael is the son of Mike and Melissa Geesaman. He lettered in football and baseball and he was named the most valuable player in the Big 26 Baseball Classic. He will continue his education and playing career at Lackawanna College, where he plans to major in criminology.

Matt Kephart: Matt is the son of Tim and Donna Kephart. He was named second team Mid-Penn Conference all-stars and was named to the Big 26 team. He is also a three-time district qualifier in golf. He will continue his education and playing career at Mount St. Mary’s University, where he will major in business.Cross Country

Colton Cassel: Colton is the son of Chris and Jody Cassel. He participated in cross country, winter track, outdoor track and wrestling. He is a four-time Mid-Penn Conference medalist, a three-time District 3-AAA medalist, and a four-time state qualifier. He will attend Edinboro University, where he will continue his running career and major in wildlife biology.Field Hockey

Alli Bitting: Alli is the daughter of David and Tracey Bitting. She is a four-year letter-winner and a three-year varsity starter. Alli earned conference all-star honors the past two seasons and was named first-team all-state and all-region last year. She is a National Futures selection for the past four seasons. She will continue her education and playing career at the University of Louisville, where she will major in sports administration.

Taylor Casamassa: Taylor is the daughter of Diane and Gregory Casamassa. She is a four-year member of the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams and earned Mid-Penn Keystone Division first team honors this year in field hockey. She will continue her education and field hockey career at Hofstra University, where she will major in health/physical education.

Sydney Dreisigmeyer: Sydney is the daughter of Kevin and Shelly Dreisigmeyer. She is a four-year member of the field hockey team. She is also a two-time gold medalist in the Keystone Games and her club team was second in the nation in 2015. She will attend Penn State University to continue her education and playing career and major in health care administration.

Katie Lammando: Katie is the daughter of Craig and Vicki Lammando. She is a four-year member of the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams. She will continue her education and field hockey career at Stonehill College and major in chemistry.

Anna Mostoller: Anna is the daughter of Todd and Christine Mostoller. She is a three-year varsity letter-winner and was named to the national all-academic squad. Her club team placed second at nationals. She will continue her education and playing career at Lehigh University, where she will major in biology.

Halle O’Neill: Halle is the daughter of Roy and Irene O’Neill. She is a four-year member of the field hockey, girls basketball and track and field teams. She is a three-year varsity starter in field hockey and is a two-time first-team Mid-Penn Conference all-star. She was also named to the first-team all-state all-star team last year. She will continue her education and playing career at the University of Michigan.

Mary Kate Tarczynski: Mary Kate is the daughter of Krista and Matt Tarczynski. She is a four-year member of the field hockey and track and field teams. She also plays club field hockey and her teams have won several festivals. She will continue her education and playing career at Appalachian State University and major in biology/chemistry.

Rachel Yeager: Rachel is the daughter of Jack and Kira Yeager. She is a four-year member of the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams and was an honorable mention Mid-Penn Conference all-star. She will continue her education and playing career at James Madison University, where she will major in kinesiology.Softball

Ava Bottiglia: Ava is the daughter of Nancy and Matt Bottiglia. She is a four-year starter on the softball team and was Mid-Penn Keystone Division player of the year last year. She was named first-team all-state the last two seasons and was first-team Mid-Penn all-star the last three seasons. She will continue her academics and playing career at Kutztown University, where she plans to major in occupational therapy.Swimming

Kaylee Hollenbach: Kaylee is the daughter of John and Brenda Hollenbach. She is a four-year member of the swimming team and is a three-time state qualifier, placing seventh at states last year. She also swims with the Hershey Aquatic Club and has competed at junior nationals. She plans to continue her education and swimming career at the University of Pittsburgh, where she will major in natural sciences.Volleyball

Jefferson Waters: Jefferson is the son of Pam and Dave Waters. He is a four-year member of the volleyball and swimming team. He led the volleyball team in kills last year and was a first-team Mid-Penn division all-star. His club team also qualified for the national volleyball tournament. He will continue his education and volleyball career at Vassar College, where he plans to major in biology.